this love is hard to stomach
by justimpolite
Summary: Karma's parents invite Liam to join them for dinner and it becomes the last straw for Amy.


**Follows canon up to 1x03 and I just kind of went off what I assume will happen in 1x04 in terms of Liam and Karma.**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

It was just another Tuesday night and Amy and Karma were sprawled across the latter's bed, attempting calculus homework. That meant Amy was working quietly, and every so often Karma would whine at her paper until Amy relented and gave her the answer. Karma was by no means a bad student, she just didn't get the mess that was calculus.

Amy rolled her eyes, but she was glad to be spending time with Karma. It always used to be the two of them, but nowadays it felt like they saw less and less of each other; Karma devoting her attention to Liam, and Amy seeking solace in Shane.

So Amy just gave Karma playful shove, telling her this would be the last time (they both knew that was a lie) and shared her sheet with her. Karma lit up and kissed the other girl on her cheek.

Amy acted disgusted, wiping her cheek with her sleeve in order to hide the blush she knew was inevitably colouring her face.

'Please, you love it,' Karma teased, winking obnoxiously.

Luckily Amy was saved from replying by the voice of Mrs Ashcroft calling up the stairs.

'Girls, dinner's ready.'

'I apologise in advance if it's tofu,' Karma says, leaping off the bed. Tofu was the Ashcroft's family specialty. Neither girl had the heart to tell them that it was a little on the dry side. Kind of like sandpaper. But even drier.

'I've survived this long, I reckon I can take another for the team.'

'That's my girl', Karma says, dragging Amy out of the room by her wrist.

They made their way down the staircase, Karma chattering away until they reached the dining room, where she suddenly froze mid-sentence.

'Liam?'

'Hey,' the boy smiled up at the two of them from his seat at the dinner table. There were now five places set at the table. And he was sitting in Amy's seat.

'What are you doing here,' Karma asks nervously, glancing around in confusion.

'Oh I bumped into your parents at the store and they invited me for dinner.'

'And you accepted,' Amy says, clenching her jaw.

'Well how could I refuse.' Liam smiled at the Ashcrofts as they entered the room with the food.

After what is now referred to as 'The Juice Debacle' at school the other week, Karma's parents had become rather fond of Liam, much to Amy's dismay. Though Karma and Liam had initially fallen out, it had turned out to be some kind of 'misunderstanding' according to the youngest Ashcroft, and the two were back on good terms. The kind of terms where they make out in abandoned art classrooms and Amy pretends it doesn't bother her.

The girls took their seats at the table, Karma sitting across from Liam and Amy to her right. Liam smiled politely at Mrs Ashcroft as she passed him a plate, which he in then in turn passed to Amy.

Tofu.

Great.

'So, how are things at school?' Mr Ashcroft asked around a mouthful of meat substitute. 'Any more protests recently? You know your brother Zen has always said he'd be happy to give you some pointers on how to protest most effectively.'

'I know Dad, but there haven't been any protests for a couple of weeks now.'

'That's a record,' Amy supplied dryly, pushing some beans around her plate with her fork. She'd suddenly lost her appetite.

'And how are you two lovebirds doing,' Mrs Ashcroft probed, with an expression that Amy could only call 'heart-eyes'.

'We're great mom, aren't we...sweetie?' Karma widened her eyes at the blonde, wanting her to go along with the act a bit.

'Oh, yeah,' Amy replies, nodding at the two adults. 'Fantastic'

'What about you Liam?' Mrs Ashcroft says, turning to the boy. 'A strapping young man like you must have a girlfriend? Or a boyfriend?'

Both girls stiffened.

Liam laughed. 'No boyfriend. Or girlfriend really.'

'Well that seems hard to believe,' Mr Ashcroft said.

'I mean, I'm kind of seeing this girl, but we're keeping it quiet at the moment.'

'Oh really, why is that?'

'I guess you could say there are a few things that would make it a little difficult for us.'

Amy's knuckles were turning white from how hard she was gripping her fork.

'Well,' Mrs Ashcroft says with a smile, 'I'm sure you two will sort things out. What's she like?'

'Oh, you know, beautiful, funny.' He pops a couple of carrots into his mouth. 'Pretty damn sexy, if you'll excuse my language.'

'Don't worry about it, we believe in freedom of expression in this household, and I may know a thing or two about sexy,' Mr Ashcroft explains, winking at his wife.

Normally Karma would protest this kind of behaviour violently, or at the very least mime puking her guts out over her parent's display of gross middle-aged affection, but she was currently locking eyes with Liam, eyes shining and cheeks red.

Suddenly there was a loud banging noise, and it took Amy a moment to realise that she had made it, having stood up quickly, knocking her plate and scarping her chair in the process.

'Everything okay, dear?' Mrs Ashcroft asks worriedly.

'No. I mean, yes. I mean, I just remembered I have to go. I have a dress fitting for the wedding. My mom's wedding. The wedding that is my mom's.'

'I thought that was this weekend?' Karma says, looking at Amy as if she'd grown an extra head.

'No, it's today. Thank you for dinner. Excuse me.' Amy hurriedly left the room, grabbing her bag from the banister before heading out the door.

'Amy!'

She could pretend not to hear. She could pretend to faint. But then she'd still have to talk to her when she 'came round' from her fake-fainting. She could always pretend she'd gone suddenly and tragically deaf? Or she could-

'Amy! What is going on with you?' Karma's hand was on her shoulder and she pulled the other girl round to face her.

'Nothing, I just have to go.'

'No you don't, we both know the fitting isn't until this weekend. I even heard Lauren moaning about it this morning. Are you going to tell me what's wrong?'

Amy looked at the girl before her; her best friend of ten years. It was a strange feeling to have relied on someone so heavily for so long, and have them be the one person you can't open up to. Amy was tired of having to hide her feelings. To be honest, she was just tired in general.

'Does he know?' She finally asks, proud of how normal her voice manages to sound.

'What?' Karma responds, brow furrowed in confusion.

'Liam. Does he know that we're faking it? Have you told him?'

'No, of course not. That would totally ruin the plan, and-'

Amy lets out a choked laugh, a much harsher sound than Karma is used to leaving her friends mouth. 'Right, the plan.'

'I thought you were fine with this. You told me you were fine.'

'Well maybe I lied. For fuck's sake Karma, how is it okay that we're supposed to be together and he just sits across he table from us both, from your fucking parents, and says those things? How is that even the tiniest bit okay?'

'What does it matter? We're not actually together, in case you've forgotten. I am doing this for him.'

Karma could have slapped Amy across the face and she thinks it would probably have hurt less. Her chest feels like it's filled with ice, and a lump forms in her throat.

'How stupid of me,' she says after a moment, 'to think maybe you cared. I guess ten years have nothing against Liam Booker, do they?'

Karma sighs, whether out of exasperation or regret, Amy doesn't know. 'You know that's not what I-.'

'Save it. I'm going home.'

And with that, Amy turns on her heel and heads in the direction of her house. She hears Karma call after her a few times, but she just keeps on walking.

Fifteen minutes later she's making her way up the stairs to her room, ignoring Lauren's questioning glance at her red-rimmed eyes and trying not to acknowledge how much it hurts that her mom doesn't even look in her direction.

She collapses onto her bed and cries into her pillow for a while. She must have fallen asleep at some point because what feels like a moment later her phone is ringing on her bedside table, Karma's photo appearing on the caller ID.

Amy can be a fairly stubborn person when she needs to be, and whenever the two of them have fought in the past, she has managed to ignore these 'apology-calls' for a while. Karma, however, is equally, if not more stubborn and always continues to call until Amy gives in. On one occasion Karma called twenty three time until Amy picked up. But then again, they've never fought quite like this before.

Amy doesn't answer her phone.

Karma doesn't call again.


End file.
